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Bona
Pronounced BOH-nuh /ΛboΚnΙ/Medium
Meaning: Bona comes straight from the Latin adjective bona, the feminine of bonus, meaning 'good'. It doubles as the name of Bona Dea, the 'Good Goddess' of Roman religion, and survived as an Italian and Latinate given name.Medium
Popularity in the U.S. Β· SSA data
U.S. births per year (Social Security Administration, 1880βpresent). Pink marker = peak year.
SSA data updated May 2026. How we source & verify this data.
History & Origin
Bona is the feminine of the Latin bonus, 'good', and shares its name with Bona Dea, the Roman 'Good Goddess'. It lived on as an Italian and Latinate first name and appeared only thinly in American records across the twentieth century.
It was never common in the United States, given to only about sixteen girls a year at its high point around 1945, and it has stayed a genuine rarity ever since. A girl named Bona then would be a grandmother or great-grandmother today.
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Frequently Asked
What does the name Bona mean?
It comes from the Latin bona, 'good', and is linked to the Roman goddess Bona Dea, the 'Good Goddess'.
How do you pronounce Bona?
It is said BOH-nuh /ΛboΚnΙ/, two syllables with the stress on the first.
Is Bona a boy or girl name?
Bona is used here as a girl's name.
How popular is Bona?
It was always rare in the United States, given to only about sixteen girls a year at its peak in the mid-nineteen-forties.